


Soundtrack of a Weekend

by GinnyK



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2002-11-07
Updated: 2002-11-07
Packaged: 2019-05-31 07:02:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15114248
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GinnyK/pseuds/GinnyK
Summary: Josh and Donna spend a week-end of forced relaxation together.





	Soundtrack of a Weekend

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Soundtrack of a Weekend**

**by:** Ginny

**Pairing/Characters:** Josh/Donna  
**Rating:** YTEEN  
**Series:** 6th in the Picking Up the Pieces series  
**Disclaimer:** They're not mine, nor do I expect to get them as a birthday present tomorrow. 

It had been two weeks since Josh and Donna had returned from that eventful trip to California.  Things were crazy at work and they had barely had time to talk, let alone do much else.  They had spent the night together at Josh's place the night they returned but since then they had only been together a few times.  Stealing a few hours here and there, either late at night or on the weekends.  It was no way to start a relationship and they both knew it. They tried to talk a few times but something always came up, some problem needed spinning, some crisis needed their attention.

It was late on Friday night when Donna wandered up from the Mess where she had been seeking out something to eat.  Coming up pretty unsuccessful she went into Josh's office to look for junk food. He was in a meeting in the Oval Office, helping to broker a solution for some problem that Donna wasn't privy to.  She opened the bottom right hand drawer of Josh's desk and pulled out his hidden stash of Oreos.  She opened his fridge, praying for an unexpired carton of milk. Her prayers were answered and she settled down in his chair, kicked off her shoes and propped her feet up on the windowsill.

About 15 minutes and 5 Oreos later she saw Josh's reflection in the window.  Even in the dark of the room she could tell he was about ready to drop.

"Josh, you ok?" she asked as she pulled her feet down and spun around.

"Tired." he said as he folded himself into the visitor's chair with a heavy sigh.

"You ready to leave?"

"Yeah.  And barring an international emergency I am off until Monday."

"Why?  What did you do?"

"I didn't do anything.  I ran into Mrs. Bartlet a little while ago and she got on my case because I..."

"Still look like crap?" asked Donna with a smirk.

"Something like that.  She threatened to call the Surgeon General if I didn't take it easy for a few days." whined Josh as he reached for his backpack.

"Good.  I've been telling you for days that you're still not completely recovered.  But why listen to me, I'm just your..."  Donna stopped short, not quite sure how to finish that sentence.

Josh noticed her hesitation.  "So, we have two days to ourselves.  Any ideas?"

"Yeah.  For starters, stop shoving work into your backpack.  You're defeating the purpose of taking time off." she said as she held out her hand for his backpack.

He handed it over.

"I have to go see Sam and I'll be ready to go in 10 minutes."

"OK, I'm timing you." warned Donna.

"I'm sure you are." muttered Josh as slapped the top of the doorframe and went into the hallway.

Donna opened his backpack, took out most of the files he had just shoved in there.  She reached next to the computer, grabbed his copy of Fox in Socks and put it in.  She turned the computer off and turned out the desk lamp.

She stopped at her desk to turn her own computer off and pick up her tote bag.  Glancing at her watch she saw Josh had 5 minutes left.  She headed in the direction of the Communications Bullpen.  Josh was coming out of Sam's office as she rounded the corner.

"I'm impressed." she said as she pointed at her watch.

"What can I say, I'm impressive." he smirked as he grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder.  He somewhat shyly reached for Donna's hand and clasped it firmly in his.  He gave her a big dimpled smile and steered her towards the door.

"My place or yours?" he asked as they got to the parking lot.

"Yours.  I'll meet you there in half an hour.  I need to get a few things from home.  Should I, uh, pack for the..."

"Pack for the weekend, Donna."

Donna could only nod and smile.  She got into her car and turned on the stereo and hit play on the portable CD player.  She sang along with Faith Hill at the top of her lungs.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> When you start falling  
>  Who's gonna catch ya  
>  I'm willing to bet ya  
>  It will be me  
>  Who's gonna love ya  
>  Like there's no other  
>  Search and discover  
>  It will be me  
>  When all the others  
>  Have gone and hurt you  
>  Who won't desert you  
>  It will be me  
>  Weighing the options  
>  So much to think of  
>  But when you think love  
>  It will be me  
>  You may not see it now  
>  Love is strange that way  
>  Someday somewhere baby somehow  
>  When you've been broken  
>  And dreams don't oblige ya  
>  Who's that beside ya  
>  Oh, it will be me  
>  You may not see it now  
>  Love is strange that way  
>  Someday somewhere baby somehow  
>  Who'll be your only  
>  True romancer  
>  You know the answer  
>  It will be me  
>  What will it take to  
>  Bring you to your senses  
>  And finally convince you  
>  It will be me.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time she had listened to the song for the third time she was at her apartment.  She ran in and changed into jeans and a sweatshirt she had stolen from Josh.  The night before she had packed a bag for the weekend, just in case. Pausing to leave her roommate a note and feed the cats cost her another 10 minutes.  She ran back down to the car, determined not to waste one precious moment of their time alone.

When she arrived at Josh's she let herself in with her key.  The first couple of times she had come over in the previous two weeks she knocked.  Until Josh convinced her to just use the key she still had from when he was recuperating.  This was only the second time she had used it and it still felt strange.

Josh wasn't in the kitchen or the living room when she stepped in the apartment.  She was on her way to the bedroom when she heard the shower turn off.

"Josh, I'm here." she called as she went into his bedroom to drop her bag.

"Be out in a minute."

Donna kicked off her shoes and curled up on the bed to wait for him.  Josh stopped in the doorway to watch her for a moment.  He was definitely not used to coming out of the bathroom and finding Donna waiting for him on his bed.

"Hey," she said smiling at him.

"Hey yourself.  Used your key?" he teased.

"Yeah." Josh sat down on the bed wearing a pair of boxers and a towel around his neck.  Donna sat up and took the towel off his shoulders.  She dried his hair and tossed the towel on the chair next to the bed.  Standing up she took off her jeans and sweatshirt then grabbed a t-shirt out of the dresser. She propped the pillows up against the headboard and pulled Josh down against her chest.  She kissed the top of his head and wrapped her arms around him.  He sighed deeply and relaxed for what felt like the first time in days.

"You sure you're just tired?" she asked as she felt his forehead.  He was cool.

"I'm sure.  You mind if we just uh, go to sleep tonight.  I don't think I'm up to..."

"Josh, it's fine." she assured him as she ran her fingers through his damp hair.

"OK," he muttered as he planted a kiss on her hand.

Josh reached over to turn off the lamp and then settled himself back against Donna.  They stayed in that same position for over half an hour.  A comfortable silence took over the room and they were lost in their own thoughts.  Donna absently ran her fingers along the scar on his chest as Josh's thumb traced lazy patterns over Donna's other hand.  She could hear a change in his breathing as he started to drift off.  As carefully as she could she moved him onto his pillow and rolled out from underneath him.  He muttered for a minute but didn't wake up.  Donna pulled the comforter over both of them and laid her head down on his chest, right over his heart.  With Faith Hill's lyrics running through her head she fell asleep to the strong steady cadence of his heartbeat and the sound of his breathing.

She woke a few hours later to the feeling of Josh climbing out of bed.  

"Josh, you ok?" she asked as she rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"Fine." he muttered as he walked to the bathroom.

Something in his voice made Donna think he was anything but fine.  He didn't close the bathroom door behind him and Donna crawled to the end of the bed to see what he was doing.  He was standing in front of the sink, looking in the mirror.

"Nightmare." muttered Donna as she pushed the comforter out of the way and climbed out of bed.

Josh was still at the sink when she went in.  He had his hands braced on the edge of the counter, his head hanging down.  Donna waited silently in the doorway for a minute, watching him with worry etched across her face.  His ragged breathing was the only sound in the room for what seemed like an eternity.  Eventually Donna went in and reached out to him.  His posture stiffened as she gently touched his arm.

"Josh, sit down." she whispered as she held on to his arm with one hand and lowered the toilet seat with the other.  He let her guide him and he sat down.

Over the previous year and a half Donna had seen Josh wake up from a handful of nightmares and she had learned that the best thing to do when he woke up from one was to not say too much.  If he wanted to talk he would, otherwise it was best to just stay quiet.  

Josh leaned forward and put his head in his hands while Donna got him a glass of water.  He took it with a shaking hand.

"Can you get me a shirt?" he asked, shivering.

Donna nodded and went to grab one out of his dresser.  As he put on the shirt she grabbed his robe off the hook behind the door.  As she held it out for him to slip on she got a good look at his face.  The tearstains told her he had been awake for a while before he had gotten out of bed.  He pulled the ties to the robe around him and tied it loosely while Donna wet a washcloth with cool water.  She knelt down in front of him and wiped his face and ran the cool cloth over the back of his neck.

"You wanna go back to bed?" she asked, finally breaking her silence.

Josh took a deep breath, "Not yet, but I'm fine, you can go back to sleep."

"I'll stay up with you, if you don't mind." she said softly as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"Thanks."

He got up slowly and wandered into the kitchen with Donna following behind him, trying her best not to hover.  She watched as Josh stuck his head in the refrigerator and poked around.  About 30 seconds into his search he was shivering from the cold.

"Josh, you're gonna freeze to death, get over here." she said, grabbing the sleeve of his robe.  "You want something to eat or are you thirsty?" she asked as she pointed him in the direction of a chair.

"Both."

She handed him a bottle of iced tea and hunted for something to eat.  "Josh you really need to..."

"I know," he sighed, "I need to go to the food store."

"Yeah.  You want some eggs and toast?"

"Sure.  What time is it anyway?"

Donna backed away from the fridge and glanced at the clock on the microwave, "A little after 3."

Josh groaned. "Then why don't we just forget about it and go back to bed."

"We're awake now.  It's not like we have to get up for anything.  We can sleep late tomorrow.  We have no plans, remember."

"Yeah, I remember." said Josh cracking his first smile since waking up from the nightmare.

Donna made scrambled eggs and they ate them under the afghan on the couch.  Josh tried to turn the TV to CNN but Donna vetoed that idea and flipped to AMC.

"Hey, look Oklahoma." she shrieked as she tossed the remote aside.

Josh tried to crawl away from Donna but she caught him by the arm.

"Look, Ado Annie's just about to sing her song." she teased.

"Donna, I've apologized like 20 times for calling you Ado Annie, can't we move on?"

Donna chewed on her lip thoughtfully.  "Uh, no.  I think I'll make you listen to the song."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> It ain't so much a question about knowing right from wrong,  
>  I've known what's good and bad since I've been ten.  
>  I heared a lot of stories and I reckon they are true,  
>  About how girls are put upon by men  
>  I know I mustn't fall into the pit  
>  But when I'm with a feller, I forgit.  
>  I'm just a girl who cain't say no, I'm in a terrible fix  
>  I always say come on let's go, just when I outta say nix.  
>  When a person tries to kiss a girl, I know she oughta give his face a smack  
>  But as soon as someone kisses me, I somehow sorta wanna kiss him back  
>  I'm just a fool when lights are low, I cain't be prissy or quaint  
>  I'm no the type who can faint, how can I be what I ain't  
>  I cain't say no.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"OK, that's enough" said Josh as he grabbed the remote and turned the channel back to CNN.

"Fine." pouted Donna as she stood up and took their plates into the kitchen.  She washed them quickly and poured herself a glass of juice. 

 "Josh you want more tea?" she called over her shoulder.

No answer.  She turned to find him sound asleep on the couch.  Flicking off the kitchen light, she went over and poked him in the shoulder.  "Come on Josh, get in bed, I'm not interested in hearing you whine in the morning about how your back is stiff from the couch."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." he mumbled as he let Donna pull him to his feet.

They fell back to sleep a little after 4, sleeping soundly until almost 9:00.  They would have slept later but the phone starting ringing.

"Josh, phone." Donna said, poking him in the ribs.

He blindly reached for the phone, nearly knocking it to the floor in the process.

"Lyman." he mumbled.  "Yeah, whatever...I'm still asleep...call me later."

He hung up the phone and pulled the pillow over his head.

"Who was that?"

"Sam.  Remind me to kill him later."

"Kay." muttered Donna, who was already half asleep again.

A little after 11:00 Donna woke up and rolled over to find Josh still dead to the world.  He was on his side, facing away from her.  Part of her knew if he was still out he needed more sleep but another part of her needed something else.  And considering he had all day to take a nap she wrapped her arms around him from behind and kissed his neck.  He sighed a little in his sleep but didn't wake up.

"Time for plan B," Donna muttered to herself.

She moved her hand under his t-shirt, running it across his stomach and hooking her thumb under the waistband of his boxers.

"Your hand's cold." he complained with a big grin on his face.  He rolled over onto his back and kissed her on the forehead.  "Hey, good morning.  It is still morning isn't it?"

"For another 45 minutes."

"So what do you wanna do today?" he smirked.

"Well, Joshua, I have my hand halfway down your boxers.  Maybe you could think of something." she said returning the smirk.

With a tug he pulled her on top of him and proceeded to give her some ideas of what they could do.

Two hours later Donna was coming out of the shower when she heard Josh typing on the computer in the kitchen.

"You'd better not be working in there, Joshua." she yelled down the hall as she headed for the bedroom.

"I'm emailing my mother."

"Tell her I said..."

"Already did." he called back.

Donna threw on a pair of sweatpants and grabbed a flannel shirt of Josh's out of the closet.  She shoved her feet into her slippers and pulled her hair back in a ponytail.

"Nice outfit, there Donnatella." said Josh as she came into the kitchen.

"And yours is so much better Josh?" she asked as she glanced at the ratty sweatshirt and jeans with the holes in the knees he was wearing.

"Hey, these are my most comfortable jeans." he whined as he stood up to pour her a cup of coffee.

Donna couldn't help but notice that in addition the being comfortable they looked mighty good on him too.

"Donna, stop staring at my ass." he teased as he handed her the coffee.

Donna could only stand there and turn bright red.

"You hungry?  We could go out and get something."

"That would involve changing.  Let's order something?"

"Pizza?"

"Sure."

Forty-five minutes later they were back under the afghan eating pizza and flipping through the channels once again.  

"There's nothing on." whined Josh.

"Put on a movie." said Donna as she grabbed the last slice of pizza.

"That means I have to get off the couch," said Josh, his whining growing louder.

"Oh, for God's sake Josh." said Donna as she hit him over the head with a pillow. "Stop whining.  I'll get a movie.  But just remember, if I'm getting off the couch I'm picking the movie."

That got Josh off the couch in a hurry.  Unfortunately he was still tangled up in the afghan and he went down with a thud, banging the back of his head on the coffee table.

"Josh." cried Donna as she tossed the afghan aside before she got up to help him.

"Owww," he whined as he gingerly felt the back of his head.

Donna knelt next to him and felt his head.  "That's gonna leave a nice big lump.  Pick out a movie and I'll get some ice." she said, trying her best not to laugh at him.

Donna grabbed the ice pack, a big glass of milk and the package of Oreos out of the pantry cabinet. Josh was still kneeling in front of the entertainment center, searching through the movies with one hand and rubbing the back of his head with the other.

"Having trouble?  I can give you a few suggestions?" teased Donna as she plopped on the couch and ripped open the cookies.

"Donna, I'm a grown man, I can pick out a video."

"OK, whatever you say dear." said Donna as she twisted open a cookie and licked the cream off.

Josh put a movie in and turned back around.  "And you call me immature.  You've got cookie crumbs on your face and a milk mustache, Donnatella."

Donna wiped at her face with a napkin.  "What movie did you put on?"

"You've Got Mail."

"Aww, Josh.  I love that movie."

"Yeah, I know.  And here, you'll need these later." he said, reaching for the box of tissues.

She took them and put the on the table next to the couch.  Josh settled down with his head in her lap while Donna held the ice against the bump on his head. He curled up under the afghan, determined to stay awake through the movie.

Ten minutes into the movie Donna was reaching for the tissues.

"Already?" teased Josh, "It's just a song, by...who is singing?"

Donna grabbed the remote and hit rewind.  "Cranberries and Josh it's not just a song, it's us, listen to it this time." she said as she hit play.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> Oh my life is changing everyday   
>  every possible way   
>  though my dreams, it's never quite as it seems   
>  never quite as it seems   
>  I know I felt like this before   
>  but now I'm feeling it even more   
>  because it came from you   
>  Then I open up and see   
>  the person fumbling here is me   
>  a different way to be   
>  I want more, impossible to ignore   
>  impossible to ignore   
>  they'll come true, impossible not to do   
>  impossible not to do   
>  Now I tell you openly   
>  you have my heart so don't hurt me   
>  for what I couldn't find   
>  Talk to me amazing mind   
>  so understanding and so kind   
>  you're everything to me   
>  Oh my life is changing everyday   
>  every possible way   
>  though my dreams, it's never quite as it seems   
>  'cause you're a dream to me   
>  dream to me 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And he did as he was told, listening carefully to the words while he grabbed Donna's hand and tucked it against his chest.  "OK, I see your point." he admitted with a small smile.

"Good.  Now be quiet so I can watch the movie."

As hard as he tried, Josh didn't stay awake through the whole movie.  But it was Donna's fault.  She had the most comfortable lap to curl up in, she was running her fingers through his hair, she had her other hand resting over his chest, she had this amazing smell that was a combination of her peppermint soap, her perfume and the Tide she used to wash her clothes.  It was too much and he drifted off before the Fox Books Superstore even opened.

When the last strains of Somewhere Over the Rainbow ended Donna rewound the tape and carefully lifted Josh's head up so she could slide off of the couch.  It was starting to get dark so she turned on the light as she went into the kitchen.  Rummaging through the cabinets and the fridge yielded nothing for dinner so she threw on some jeans and her sneakers to run to the store.  

She left a note for Josh on the off chance that he actually woke up before she got back.  Moving the afghan back up around him she brushed back his hair and kissed his cheek.

Pulling her coat around her tightly Donna set off for the little store a few blocks away.  She had a parking space in front of Josh's building that she wasn't ready to give up.  The crisp air and the walk cleared her head and gave her time to think.  She realized that she and Josh were in desperate need of a long and possibly difficult talk.  Although on the surface things were fine they both knew they needed to make some tough decisions in the near future. 

The press was starting to ask questions about their relationship that CJ was, so far, able to blow off using the standard, "the White House doesn't comment on the personal lives of its employees."  But they knew that answer wouldn't satisfy the press much longer.

They needed to decide about their work situation.  There was no doubt in Donna's mind, as well as Josh's really, that they could continue to work together without any problems.  But it was a matter of convincing Leo and the President of that.  And they weren't too sure what to expect.

Donna also hadn't exactly told her parents about the latest development in her relationship with Josh.  It wasn't that they didn't like him or anything like that; she just wasn't too sure how they would take the news that their youngest child had fallen in love with a politician who was 10 years older, not to mention, her boss.

As Donna wandered around the store aimlessly looking for something for dinner she suddenly came to the conclusion she needed comfort food.  That meant chicken soup and grilled cheese sandwiches.  She grabbed what she needed to make the soup and sandwiches and headed back to Josh's apartment.

He was, as she had expected, still sound asleep on the couch.  She knew he was most likely just exhausted from the schedule he was trying to keep but she couldn't help but worry about how much he was sleeping.  A kiss to his forehead told her he wasn't running a fever; he ate half a pizza earlier, so his appetite was just fine.  So she decided to just let him sleep while she started the soup.

She set the chicken on the stove to simmer and went to work trying to find a cutting board and a knife that was actually sharp enough to cut vegetables.  Her rooting around in the cabinets woke Josh up from his nap.  He stumbled into the kitchen looking rumpled and absolutely adorable.

"Hey you, have a nice nap?"

"Yeah, what time is it?" he asked rubbing his eyes as he tugged open the fridge.

"About 5:30."

"Whatcha making?"

"Chicken soup."

"Donna, I told you, I feel fine."

"I know.  I felt like making soup.  Got a problem with that?" she asked just a little harsher than she had planned.

"Nope." said Josh as he opened a can of Coke and hopped up onto the counter. "Come here." he said as he put the can of soda down and held out his arms to her.

Donna sighed and moved to stand in between his knees.  His arms went around her and he kissed the top of her head.  "Honey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know." she replied as she reached her hands under the back of his sweatshirt.  He jumped as her cold hands touched the warm skin of his back.

"Hey, your hands are freezing." he said trying to squirm away from her.  She pulled him closer and tucked her hands into the back of his jeans.

"That's better." she teased.

"Better for you." he smirked.  "Now, what's wrong?"

"We need to talk."

Josh reached behind him and removed her hands.  He took them in his own and held them tight.  "Oh God, you're dumping me already." he groaned.

"No Joshua, I'm not dumping you.  Not at all.  I just think it's time to go public."

"Already?" he whined as he dropped his head to her shoulder and kicked the cabinet with his heels.

"Stop whining." she said with a grin as she backed away from him and lifted his chin up so she could look in his eyes.

"Fine.  So how do you want to do this, billboard, direct mail, television spot?"

"Joshua David, you're impossible."

"And that's why you love me."

"That would be part of it." admitted Donna with a giggle.

"Hey, did you just admit that you love me?" said Josh in a voice that rivaled a 12-year-old boy with a bad case of puppy love.

"Josh I've loved you for a long time." she said quietly as she felt her cheeks turn red.

"Huh?" he said, his eyes suddenly wide.  "Since when?" he asked quietly.

"Well, for certain, since you were shot, although I had my suspicions earlier than that." she admitted with a grin.

"Oh, well, if it makes you feel any better I think I've loved you just about as long.  In which case, why did we just get together a couple of weeks ago?" mused Josh as he grabbed her hand.

"We were too busy using misdirection?" guessed Donna as she turned down the chicken.

"Something like that.  So we really need to go public?" he asked, his voice nearing the whining stage yet again.

"Yeah and before this weekend is over we are going to have a plan." Donna declared as she pulled Josh off the counter and handed him the knife.

"And what am I supposed to do with this?" 

"Cut the carrots and celery.  Try not to hurt yourself."

He eyed the knife with a look of doubt but took it anyway.  Donna hunted in the cabinet for some rice or noodles to throw in the soup.

Twenty minutes later the soup was simmering and it was Donna's turn to sit on the counter and whine.

"Josh, I am not watching some macho guy movie with blood and guts tonight." she yelled into the living room.  Josh was sitting on the floor in front of the entertainment center reading the names of the videos.  "What happened to your collection of musicals?"

"They are in my room.  I was tired of CJ and Toby making fun of them every time they came over."

Donna laughed as she jumped off the counter and went into the bedroom.  She came out with a few videos and dropped them on the coffee table.  "Pick one."

He glanced at them and held one up.  "This one."  He put it on the VCR. 

"OK, after we come up with a plan." said Donna.

"Now? I can't think on an empty stomach." complained Josh.

"Fine, we'll talk over dinner.  That gives you about half an hour to think up a good one." she said as she flopped down on the couch and flicked on the TV.

Josh sat down in front of the couch on the floor, hugging his knees to his chest.

"You cold?" asked Donna as she stretched out on her stomach and reached to run her fingers through his hair.

"A little, toss me the afghan."

She snagged it with her foot and wrapped it around his shoulders.  Donna propped her head up with her hand to watch TV.  Josh had taken the remote and turned on CNN.

"Please, anything but CNN." she whined as she tried to grab the remote from him.

A half an hour later they were at the kitchen table with their soup and grilled cheese.

"So what's the plan?" asked Josh as he tore open a sleeve of Saltines.

"I don't know.  CJ's been dancing around the question for a few days.  But I just feel so strange making this big announcement that we're...we're...."

"We're what?" asked Josh as he put down his spoon and propped his chin up in his hand.

"Dating, involved, having a fling, I don't know." groaned Donna.

"OK, it's not a fling, let's get that straight." he said with a grin.

"Dating's the right term I guess but..God Josh, it's nobody's business but ours." she said feeling herself close to tears.

Josh reached over to her and tugged on her hand.  He pushed his seat back from the table and she sat down in his lap.

"I know, things are...well, strange, I guess would be the right word.  Starting a new relationship is scary, having to do it in a fish bowl is downright terrifying."

Josh tipped her chin up and kissed her softly.  To his surprise she deepened the kiss as she wound her fingers through his hair.  When the kiss ended they were both pretty breathless.

"You wanna skip the rest of dinner?" he asked as he cocked his head towards the bedroom.

"Yes, but not before we have a plan."

"Can't we talk about the plan in the bedroom?" whined Josh.

Donna just rolled her eyes.

"OK, I guess that wouldn't be too likely." agreed Josh as he squirmed in his seat.

Donna kissed his forehead and went back to her chair.  "Think, Joshua." she said as she picked up the soupspoon.

"Well, Donna, it would be a whole lot easier to think if I actually had blood flowing to my brain." he smirked.

Donna's response was to toss a cracker at his head.

By the time dinner was over they had the beginnings of a plan.  They would allow CJ to confirm that they were involved but give no other details unless completely necessary.  Not that there were many other details to give.  Their relationship was only a few weeks old.  Well, anyone who actually knew them knew that was not exactly true but for the sake of the press that was their answer.

Josh sat on the counter as he watched Donna do the dishes.  In fairness to him, he had offered to help but Donna insisted on doing it herself. He sat with his hands braced on the edge, drumming his fingers and kicking his heels against the cabinets just loud enough to be annoying.

Donna tried to ignore his fidgeting as long as she could but finally grabbed his hands and stood in front of him so he couldn't kick anymore.  "Stop fidgeting, you're worse than a 5 year old on a sugar high." she teased.  "Go start the movie.  You want some ice cream?"

"Sure"

Donna grabbed the pint of Ben and Jerry's out of the freezer and took a spoon out of the dish drainer.  Josh had started the movie, How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and ran to change while the FBI warning scrolled across the screen.  He came back in sweats and a t-shirt as the overture started.  He sang along with the songs while Donna tried her best not to laugh at him. 

"What?" he whined as he reached for the ice cream.

"Nothing." she giggled as she picked up the afghan from the floor and covered them up.

They watched as J. Pierpont Finch worked his way up the ladder at the World Wide Wicket Company. In their minds they identified with Finch and his girlfriend/secretary, Rosemary.  Donna, having never seen the movie nearly went into hysterics at the song "A Secretary is Not a Toy".

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> Gentlemen, Gentlemen,  
>  A secretary is not a toy,   
>  No my boy, not a toy.  
>  To fondle and dandle,  
>  And playfully handle,  
>  In search of some puerile joy.  
>  No, a secretary is not, definitely not, a toy.  
>  A secretary is not a toy,   
>  No my boy, not a toy.  
>  So do not go jumping for joy,  
>  Boy, a secretary is not,  
>  A secretary is not,  
>  A secretary is not a toy.   
>  A secretary is not to be,  
>  Used for play therapy.  
>  Be good to the girl you employ.  
>  Boy, remember no matter what  
>  Neurotic trouble you've got  
>  A secretary is not, at toy.  
>  She's a highly specialized key component of operational unity  
>  A fine and sensitive mechanism to serve the office community  
>  With a mother at home, she supports,  
>  And you'll find nothing like her at FAO Schwartz.  
>  A secretary is not a pet, nor an erector set.  
>  It happened to Charlie McCoy,  
>  Boy they fired him like a shot,  
>  The day the fellow forgot,  
>  A secretary is not, a toy  
>  A secretary is not, a toy  
>  And when you put her to use,   
>  Observe when you put her to use,  
>  That you don't find the name Lionel,  
>  On her caboose.  
>  A secretary is not a thing,  
>  Wound by key, pulled by string,  
>  Her pad is to write in,  
>  Not spend the night in  
>  If that's what you plan to enjoy, no!  
>  A secretary is not, definitely not,  
>  employed to do a gavotte,  
>  Or you know what.  
>  Before you jump for joy,  
>  Remember this my boy,  
>  A secretary is not,  
>  A Tinker Toy.

~~~~~~~~~

Donna wrestled the remote out of Josh's hand and stopped the movie. She sat up and tried to take a deep breath but was laughing too hard.

"Got a visual in your mind of all of us singing and dancing around the bullpen, didn't you?" laughed Josh.

"Oh God, yes." croaked Donna as she got up to get a drink of water.

She composed herself and they went back to the movie.  Donna couldn't help but grin at the end when everything worked out and Finch and Rosemary ended up together.  As she hit rewind she put her head on Josh's shoulder.

"Think we'll end up like that?"

"Happy? I sure hope so." said Josh as he brushed a kiss across her forehead.

"Josh can I ask you something?"

"Since when do you ask if you can ask me something?" he smirked.

"OK, Josh, right now I need you to..."

"Not be me?"

Donna laughed a little and nodded.  "Are you happy with the way things are.  I know things have been hectic lately and we haven't spent a lot of time together but do you think this is....working out?" she asked quietly.

Josh sat straight up, somewhat surprised at the question.  "I think things are fine, we're fine.  Is this they way I envisioned us getting together.  Not really.  I guess I just figured sooner or later we would just fall into bed together...ya know..."

"Drunk?"

"Tipsy," corrected Josh with a grin.  "Donna, I'm happier than I've been in a very long time.  Do I think things will be easy?  Of course not.  Do I think this is the best time to be starting a relationship, probably not.  But there's never going to be a right time.  And if there's two people that deserve to be happy, I think it's us."

Donna tried to answer but was too busy reaching for the box of tissues.

"Donna, I didn't mean to make you cry." whispered Josh as he pulled her closer.

They stayed curled up on the couch, dozing on and off, through the 11:00 news and Saturday Night Live.  At 1:00 Donna nudged Josh awake to drag him to bed.

"Josh, come on.  Let's go to bed." she said, taking his hands to pull him to his feet.

"Too tired, Donna." he muttered.  "Feel free to start without me, I'll catch up."

Donna burst out laughing and lost her grip on his hands.  He slipped backwards, banging the lump on his head against the back of the couch.

"Owww.  What was that for?" he asked as he gingerly rubbed the back of his head.

"Never mind.  Let's go to bed." she repeated as she held out her hand to help him up.

"No thanks." he said as he eyed her hand warily.  "I can get up myself."

"Fine." said Donna as she headed for the bathroom.  

By the time she got out of the bathroom Josh was curled up on the bed, asleep.  She managed to pull the covers back and throw them over him without waking him up.  She wrapped her arms around him and kissed his forehead.

A few hours later she woke to the all too familiar feeling of Josh climbing out of the bed.

"Nightmare?" she asked quietly as he walked to the window and stared out.

"No, go back to sleep."

Donna rolled over and really did try to go back to sleep but it just wasn't going to happen as long as she could hear Josh wandering around. She sighed as she threw back the comforter and sat up.  She shoved her feet into her slippers and rubbed her eyes against the bright light in the hall.  

Josh was sitting on the couch in the dark.  He had the CD player on quietly and he was drinking a cup of tea.  He looked lost, lonely and utterly adorable.  Silently watching him for a minute Donna felt a familiar tug at her heart.  The one she got when she felt the urge to protect Josh. Whether it meant protecting him from someone else or from himself, the tug was the same.  She had felt it too many times over the past 18 months.  

"Josh, you want some company?" she asked quietly.

He turned his head slowly towards here and she could just make out his faint smile in the dark room. "Sure." he said as he muted the CD and moved the afghan to give her room to sit down next to him.

She curled up next to him and stole a sip of his tea while she waited for him to say something. After a few minutes it became clear that she could be waiting for quite a while. 

"What were you listening to?" she asked as she motioned towards the CD player.

"Not really sure.  It was on shuffle, I don't even know what CDs are in there at the moment." he said as he handed her the remote.

She turned it back on, if only to give herself something to focus on besides whatever it was Josh wasn't talking about.

Biting her tongue against the urge to ask him what was bothering him she just kissed his forehead, settled against his chest and wrapped her arm around his waist.  He was still for a few minutes and then started fidgeting.

"Let me guess, you couldn't find the decaf tea?" she asked as she sat up.

"No. Well, no I couldn't find it but that's not why I'm fidgeting." he said with a sigh.

And it became apparent to Donna that in order to find out what was bothering him she would have to play a round of 20 Questions.  And at nearly 3 in the morning she really wasn't in the mood.  It was times like this that she started to doubt the relationship.  She knew she loved Josh and had no doubt in her mind that he loved her but she sometimes doubted that she had the energy to make it work.  Even though they had only technically been together for a few weeks, they had been together for years.  And she knew what it took to keep the relationship afloat.

"Josh, I'm tired, you're tired.  If you're planning on telling me what's wrong I would appreciate it if you did it soon." she said trying to keep her voice calm but not even coming close.

Her tone and comment caught him by surprise and he tossed back the afghan angrily and stood up with a moan.  Swearing under his breath he stumbled to the kitchen.  Donna watched him move and realized why he was fidgety and unable to sleep.  She sighed and went to the bathroom to grab a couple of Advil.

When she came back out he was pacing around the kitchen.  Given the size of his kitchen he was likely to make himself dizzy rather quickly.  He saw her, stopped pacing and leaned heavily against the counter.  A small smile came across his face; replacing the look a pain that Donna had seen when he was pacing around.

"Here, take these." she said as she handed him the pills and got him a glass of water. 

"Thanks." he muttered as he tipped his head back to swallow.  He drained the glass and put it in the sink.  "I'm sorry." he said quietly as he slumped into chair.

"Me too." said Donna as she hesitated before moving to stand behind him.  She reached out and put her hands on his shoulders.  At first he flinched unconsciously at her touch.  She could feel the knots of tension, especially on his right side.  "Josh, why didn't you just tell me you were fidgety and couldn't sleep because your right side was bothering you?"

He sighed and thought about his answer for a few seconds.  "Because I don't want you to always feel like you need to take care of me.  You know, not matter how tough and arrogant I am on the outside, deep down I'm a pretty needy guy." he said with a laugh.

"Oh, I hadn't noticed." teased Donna.

Josh tipped his head back and grinned at her, a full dimpled grin that caused her heart to skip a beat.  Donna leaned over to kiss his forehead.  "I'll be honest with you, I could do without some of your needy tendencies once in a while.  However, there is no way on earth that you will get me to stop worrying about you or taking care of you. So deal with it."

"I guess I can deal with it." 

"Good.  Could we go back to bed Josh?  It's three in the morning." whined Donna as she went to get a glass of water for herself.

"Yeah, I'll try to sleep again." he muttered as he walked back towards the living room.  

Donna watched him limping from behind and made a mental note to have him call the doctor in a few days if the stiffness didn't let up.

Josh grabbed the remote and was about to turn off the CD player when Donna stopped him.

"Leave it on for a minute." she said as she moved to wrap her arms around him.

Josh listened for a second and then smiled.  "Ah, when did you stick that CD back in there?" he asked as Michael Crawford's voice filled the room.

"Last week sometime." replied Donna as she kissed his cheek.

"You, uh, wanna dance?" asked Josh quietly.

"Sure you can handle it?" asked Donna with a grin.

"Yeah, I think I can handle one slow song with you in the privacy of my living room.  It's not like we're going to be swing dancing at a State Dinner." he smirked as he turned up the volume and took Donna in his arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> I have never felt like this;   
>  For once I'm lost for words   
>  Your smile has really thrown me.   
>  This is not like me at all,   
>  I never thought I'd know   
>  The kind of love you've shown me.   
>  Now, no matter where I am,   
>  No matter what I do   
>  I see your face appearing   
>  Like an unexpected song,   
>  An unexpected song   
>  That only we are hearing.   
>  I don't know what's going on   
>  Can't work it out at all   
>  Whatever made you choose me?   
>  I just can't believe my eyes   
>  You look at me as though   
>  You couldn't bear to lose me.   
>  Now, no matter where I am   
>  No matter what I do   
>  I see your face appearing   
>  Like an unexpected song,   
>  An unexpected song   
>  That only we are hearing.   
>  I have never felt like this;   
>  For once I'm lost for words   
>  Your smile has really thrown me.   
>  This is not like me at all   
>  I never thought I'd know   
>  The kind of love you've shown me.   
>  Now, no matter where I am   
>  No matter what I do   
>  I see your face appearing   
>  Like an unexpected song,   
>  An unexpected song   
>  That only we are hearing.   
>  Like an unexpected song,   
>  An unexpected song   
>  That only we are hearing. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Josh sang along softly with the CD while Donna tried to hold back tears.  She wasn't very successful and he eventually steered them over towards the coffee table and the box of tissues.

When it ended Donna turned it off and led him down the hall to the bedroom.  He settled down on the bed and made it for about 10 minutes before starting with the fidgeting.  "Whenever you want me to leave and go sleep on the couch, just let me know." he said as he rolled back over onto his stomach and shoved the pillow under his head.

"You wanna try the heating pad?" asked Donna as she reached out to rub his back.

"Sure, at this point I'm willing to try anything." he agreed.

Donna grabbed it out of the linen closet and plugged it in next to Josh's side of the bed.  Curling up on his side to face Donna he reached out to tuck her hair behind her ear.  "You know that was the first song we danced to, right?"

"Of course I do." said Donna, pleased that Josh remembered.  "It was one of the inaugural balls.  I don't remember which one.  I remember we were talking quietly and you looked at me as if you were going to kiss me and you ended up resting your forehead on mine and giving me a big dimpled smile."

"I remember.  Oh my God." he muttered as he threw the covers off and rolled over towards the nightstand.

"What are you doing?"

Josh was hunting through the drawer, obviously looking for something.  "Got it.  I could never remember when this was taken," he said as he handed her the photo of the two of them.  The same photo that resided on Donna's nightstand.  "It was during that song."

Donna looked at the image.  Not that she needed to see it to recall the looks on their faces.  It was the first thing she looked at in the morning and the last thing she saw before she closed her eyes at night.

"I didn't know you had a copy of that picture.  I have one at home too. I used to keep it in my drawer too."

"Used to?  Where is it now?"

"On top of the night stand." she said as she reached over him and placed his copy next to the lamp.  She turned out the lamp and settled back down on her side of the bed.

Josh curled up on the heating pad and fell asleep within minutes.  Donna stayed awake a little longer, watching him.  She had seen him asleep countless times but never grew tired of watching him.  In his sleep was the only time he was remotely still.  And even then it wasn't very often that he was completely still.  She was learning very quickly to sleep through his tossing and turning, mumbling and snoring.  But she never slept through when he had a nightmare.  And for that he was grateful and so was she.  

There were thankfully no nightmares that night and Josh got an uninterrupted 5 straight hours sleep for the first time in months.  He woke up around 8:00 to the sun shining in the window.  Instead of his usual moaning about the bright light he got up and went to the window.  He opened it a crack and breathed in the fresh smell that was unique to autumn.

Donna was still sound asleep.  Her long blond hair fanned out against the dark blue pillowcase.  Josh kissed her cheek and pulled the plaid comforter up around her shoulders.  He pushed the window back down and went into the kitchen.

He started the coffee and opened the refrigerator.  Josh soon realized that there was nothing in the kitchen that remotely resembled breakfast food so he grabbed his sneakers and his Mets hat and headed for the corner bakery.

Donna woke up when she reached out to touch Josh and got only a handful of sheets.  Rolling over and lingering on his side of the bed for a minute she looked at the picture of the two of them on the nightstand and smiled.  The smell of the coffee was enough to get her out of bed. She was just coming out of the bathroom when Josh came back in the front door.  

"Bagels?" she asked as she took the bag from him.

"Finest bagels in the land, Donnatella." he replied with a grin.

He threw his jacket on the hook on the back of the front door before kicking off his sneakers and following her into the kitchen.  She had poured the coffee and was putting her bagel in the toaster.

"Grab the butter out of the fridge, please." she asked.

"So, what do you want to do today?"

"I don't know.  You have any ideas?" asked Donna as she handed him a bagel.

"I think I'd like to get out of here for a while.  Maybe make it through the day without a nap."

"Getting out of here sounds good but if you're tired later, you're taking a nap." 

"Yes, ma'am." smirked Josh.

They finished breakfast, showered and got dressed by a little after 10:00.  They debated driving over to Baltimore but the weather didn't look too promising.  Storm clouds were rolling in and it was pretty chilly.

"I'm beginning to think staying inside is a good idea." said Josh as he stared out the window at the thickening clouds.

"No way, you need a little fresh air." called Donna from the bathroom.

"Fresh air, sure.  But I don't think I need pneumonia." 

"Come on, we'll walk around the mall for a while, grab a hot dog for lunch.  We can blend in with the tourists."

"Yeah, maybe you can blend in but my face is well-known." yelled Josh.

"Oh please, I think your fan club will leave you alone for one afternoon." said Donna as she came in the room.  "Here, wear this." she teased as she tossed him his Mets hat.

"Like that's going to fool my adoring fans." quipped Josh as he put on the hat and held out her coat for her.

"I'll just beat them off with a stick.  Come on, let's go." she said as she took him by the hand and dragged him down the front stairs.

The rain held off for a few hours.  It was chilly and damp but even Josh admitted it was nice to get out in the fresh air for a while.  They walked from the Lincoln Memorial to the Washington Monument, passing through the Korean War Memorial.  Josh was still a little stiff and sore so they took it slow, walking hand in hand.

"Hey Josh, you think this is the best idea?" asked Donna as she held up their entwined fingers.

"Probably not. But you know what, I don't care.  Let people talk.  I want people to know we're together.  I want to..."

"So help me God, if you say you want to shout it from the top of the Washington Monument." warned Donna.

"OK, then I won't say it." said Josh, giving her hand a squeeze.

Donna just rolled her eyes at him and pulled him in for a quick kiss.  By the time they made it to the Washington Monument Josh was ready to sit for a few minutes.  They sat on a bench just like two everyday tourists.  

"So, looks like your throngs of screaming fans must be busy at their high school football games today, huh?" teased Donna.

"Very funny Donnatella."

"Well, I try." she replied with a grin.

They sat for a while, talking about nothing in particular.  They were just about to get up and head back to the car when the looked up to see Leo watching them from about 20 yards away.  Josh had had his arm around Donna's shoulders and she was snuggled up against him, practically in his lap.  Josh got up so fast he almost tossed Donna off the bench.

Leo just stared at them and shook his head.

"Leo, I can explain, really, I can..." stuttered Josh as he started walking towards his boss.

"Joshua, I may be old and a little out of practice but you don't exactly have to explain the situation to me.  I'm not stupid.  But I was beginning to wonder about you, though."

"What?" cried Josh.

"All I'm going to say is, it's about time.  Donna, best of luck keeping him in line.  We can talk on Monday, enjoy the rest of your weekend."

And with those words and a wave, Leo turned to head back to the White House.  

"Oh my God." muttered Donna.

Josh swept her up into his arms and spun her around.

"Josh, be careful." she warned.

"I'm fine." he said setting her down.  "I love you."

"I love you too."

Hand in hand they set off back down to the Lincoln Memorial.

"You still want a hot dog for lunch?" asked Donna.

"Nah, I don't know what I want." he said as he turned up the collar of his coat against the growing wind.

By the time they made it back to the car they were quite cold.  Josh turned up the heat while Donna fiddled around with the CD player. She got it started and the very end of Jimmy Buffett's Cheeseburger in Paradise came over the speakers.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> I like mine with lettuce and tomato   
>  Heinz 57 and french fried potatoes   
>  Big kosher pickle and a cold draught beer   
>  Well, good god Almighty which way do I steer   
>  For a cheeseburger in paradise   
>  Makin' the best of every virtue and vice.   
>  Worth every damn bit of sacrifice   
>  To get a cheeseburger in paradise;   
>  To be a cheeseburger in paradise.   
>  I'm just a cheeseburger in paradise. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"OK, I decided," said Josh as he stopped blowing air into his cupped hands long enough to talk.

"You want a cheeseburger for lunch?"

"Yeah, but I guess paradise is out of the question?" he mused.

"Afraid so.  How about Johnny Rockets in Union Station?"

"Sounds good." he said as he eased the car into gear and backed out of the space.

Luck was not on their side when it came to finding a parking space near Union Station. Josh finally found something about two blocks away.  It hadn't started to rain yet so they at least made it to lunch still dry.

Johnny Rockets was in the food court of Union Station.  It seemed like thousands of teenagers had decided to congregate at the station on that particular afternoon.

"Hey, I think we found your fan club." teased Donna as a couple of teenaged girls pointed towards him and waved.  He waved back and steered Donna towards a booth in the back of the restaurant.  They ordered cheeseburgers, shakes and cheese fries.  

"You know, this is our first date." said Donna right after the waitress had dropped off their shakes.

"Oh God, I'm sorry.  I really should have taken you somewhere nicer." said Josh sincerely.

"Joshua, please." said Donna with a smile.  "I just want to be able to hold your hand in public and not feel guilty.  I want to be a normal couple, whatever normal is these days."

"Well, I'm thinking, since I'm one half of this couple, normal just might be unattainable." he teased.

"Probably." she smiled.  "Hey, give me a nickel."

Josh dug in his pockets for some nickels as Donna flipped through the song titles on the little jukebox at the end of the table.  She stuck in a nickel and pushed a few buttons.

"What did you put on?" asked Josh as the waitress brought their food.  He was so engrossed in checking to see if his burger was burnt enough for him that he wasn't paying attention to what Donna said.  "Huh"," he muttered, "I wasn't listening."

"No kidding," teased Donna as she reached for the ketchup.  "I said, shut up, listen and you'll find out."

He smirked and turned his full attention towards the jukebox.  "Ah, very nice choice." he said as he reached for her hand.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> People are talkin, talking 'bout people.  
>  I hear them whisper, you won't believe it.  
>  They think we're lovers, kept under covers.  
>  I just ignore it, but they keep saying,  
>  We laugh just a little too loud.  
>  We stand just a little too close.  
>  We stare just a little too long...  
>  Maybe they're seeing something we don't, Darlin'  
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  How about love?   
>  I feel so foolish, I never noticed.  
>  You'd act so nervous, could you be falling for me?  
>  It took a rumor to make me wonder,  
>  Now I'm convinced I'm going under.  
>  Thinking 'bout you every day.  
>  Dreaming 'bout you every night.  
>  Hoping that you feel the same way.  
>  Now that we know it, let's really show it, Darlin'   
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  A little mystery to figure out.  
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  How about love, love, love, love?   
>  Let's give them something to talk about, baby!  
>  A little mystery to figure out.  
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  How about love, love, love, love?   
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  Let's give them something to talk about!  
>  How about love, love, love, love? 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"I've been listening to that song for a while now." admitted Donna with a shy smile when the song was over.

"I know, I've heard you playing the CD late at night, when you think I'm locked in my office working.  I'm usually just daydreaming." said Josh with a smile.  "So how much do you want to give people to talk about?" he asked with a wicked grin.

"Well, I'm not about to jump you in the middle of Union Station but no more sneaking off to stairwells and elevators to steal a kiss or two."

"Deal.  From now on we act normal.  Yeah, I know, whatever normal is." said Josh with a shrug of his shoulders.

They went back to eating their lunch.

People wandering in from outside were talking about the rain and the wind.  The restaurant wasn't crowded so they stayed for almost 2 hours.  They laughed and talked, relaxing in public for the first time as a couple.  There was no hand holding under the table nor secret looks of longing between them.  There hands were on the table and the looks were obvious to those around them.  A few times they saw people pointing and gesturing towards them.  They waved and smiled before retreating into their own little world.

When the waitress started to give them looks they left a very generous tip and left.  They went upstairs and wandered around the shops for a while, hand in hand.  Every once in a while they checked on the weather.  When the clouds broke they headed for the car.

They were about a block away when the sky opened up again and it started pouring.  Josh grabbed Donna by the hand and they ran as fast as they could.  But since Josh was still a little stiff that wasn't very fast and by the time the got back to the car the term drowned rats pretty much described both of them.

They settled down, breathless from running and laughing.  The car slowly warmed up and the heat kicked in soon after.  The managed to keep themselves occupied by steaming up the windows all by themselves. Donna finally kissed him one last time and sat up.

"You really need to get an automatic, the gear stick gets in the way." she said with a smirk.

"Tell me about it." agreed Josh as he rubbed the sore spot on his thigh.

Donna reached out to rub the spot herself, running her fingers gently over the soft, faded denim of his jeans.   She upped the stakes as she ran her hand further up his thigh with an evil grin.

Josh jumped, hitting his head on the window.  "OK, Donnatella, that's it." he teased, "Just wait until we get home."

"Oh, I'll be waiting." she said with a purr.

Josh gave her a big smile and moved her hand from where it had been resting and placed it in her lap.  "It's raining, I need to pay attention to what I'm doing." he explained as he reached for his seatbelt.

"Fine." muttered Donna with a completely innocent look on her face.

Josh made the trip back to his place fairly quickly despite the rain.  Donna behaved and kept her hands to herself for the duration of the ride.  The rain was still falling steadily as Josh pulled the car into his parking space.  They made a mad dash for the door, ending up splashing in quite a few large puddles on the way.  Completely soaked and shivering Josh slammed the door behind him as Donna was already shedding her clothes.  He looked at her and grinned.

"In a hurry, Donnatella?" he asked with a smirk as he kicked off his wet sneakers.

"Yeah, got a problem with that?" she said, returning the smirk.

Josh shook his head and pulled his shirt out of his pants as he started to make his way down the hall towards the bedroom.  He stopped halfway there to pull off his socks and toss them in the bathroom.  Donna managed to kick her shoes off while following him.  By the time she got to the doorway she was down to her bra and her jeans.  Josh was trying to undo the buttons on his shirt but he was shivering so much from desire as well as from the cold that his fingers just weren't cooperating.

"Need some help?" she asked softly as she came up behind him and wrapped her hands around his waist under his shirt.

He jumped from the shock of her cold hands and spun around to face her. Gently Donna moved his hands out of the way and undid the buttons herself.  She pushed the shirt off his shoulders and pulled his t-shirt over his head causing drops of water from his hair to rain down on her. She squealed a little as the cold water hit her warm skin.  He took the opportunity to lick the drops from her skin as she moved to unbutton his jeans.

"If you grab me with those cold hands, I'm going to scream." warned Josh as she pushed his jeans and his boxers down over his hips.

After she tossed his jeans aside, Josh slowly undid her jeans and pushed them off as she blew into her cupped hands to warm them up.

They crawled under the comforter and found a few ways to warm up.

Josh woke up alone in the dark.  He rolled over to glance at the clock. It was a little after 7:00.  "And to think I wanted to make it through the day without a nap." he muttered to himself as he threw back the comforter.  He quickly pulled it back up when he realized that he was indeed naked and the room was quite chilly.  With a groan he leaned over the side of the bed and grabbed his boxers and his sweatshirt. He pulled them on as quickly as he could and grabbed a pair of sweatpants out of the laundry basket.  Not bothering with the light in the bedroom he stumbled into the bathroom, stubbing his toe.

"Josh, everything ok?" called Donna from the living room.

"Yeah, I'll be out in a minute." he yelled as he heard Donna turn on the stereo.

Five minutes later he walked down the hallway and stood in the doorway to the living room unnoticed. A broad smile came across his face as he watched Donna.  She was wearing a pair of his boxers, an old Bartlet for America t-shirt and a pair of thick white socks.  The CD player was blasting and she was singing and dancing around the room, completely oblivious to the fact that Josh was watching her. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> Listen, baby  
>  Ain't no mountain high  
>  Ain't no valley low  
>  Ain't no river wide enough, baby  
>  If you need me, call me  
>  No matter where you are  
>  No matter how far  
>  Just call my name  
>  I'll be there in a hurry  
>  You don't have to worry  
>  'Cause baby,  
>  There ain't no mountain high enough  
>  Ain't no valley low enough  
>  Ain't no river wide enough  
>  To keep me from getting to you  
>  Remember the day  
>  I set you free  
>  I told you  
>  You could always count on me  
>  From that day on I made a vow  
>  I'll be there when you want me  
>  Some way,some how  
>  'Cause baby,  
>  There ain't no mountain high enough  
>  Ain't no valley low enough  
>  Ain't no river wide enough  
>  To keep me from getting to you  
>  No wind, no rain  
>  My love is alive  
>  Way down in my heart  
>  Although we are miles apart  
>  If you ever need a helping hand  
>  I'll be there on the double  
>  As fast as I can  
>  Don't you know that  
>  There ain't no mountain high enough  
>  Ain't no valley low enough  
>  Ain't no river wide enough  
>  To keep me from getting to you  
>  Don't you know that  
>  There ain't no mountain high enough  
>  Ain't no valley low enough  
>  Ain't no river wide enough

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the last chorus ended Donna looked up to see Josh in the doorway.  She turned a lovely shade of red instantly as she stopped dancing.

"Don't stop" he said as he came into the room and pushed repeat on the stereo.  He swept her into his arms and together they danced and sang around the room.

When the song ended they were breathless from singing and laughing.  They collapsed on the couch.  The phone rang.

"Let the machine get it." said Donna as she pulled Josh back down on the couch with her.

"OK." he agreed as he hit the mute button on the stereo so he could hear the machine.

They sat as the listened to Josh's greeting.  The room was soon filled with CJ's voice.

*******

Josh...and Donna, I assume...it's CJ...just ran in to Leo in the office...had an interesting discussion...it made some rumors I heard during the day a little clearer...hope your picture isn't going to be on the front page of the paper in the morning...hope the burgers were good...I look forward to talking to you two in the morning...by the way...congratulations and it's about time.

*******

Donna sighed and buried her face against Josh's chest as the machine clicked off.

"Damn" muttered Josh as he ran his fingers through her hair.  "Well, at least she did congratulate us." he said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I suppose that's something.  You want to call her back?"

"Nah, not really.  We'll see her tomorrow" he sighed as he stood up.  "You want some tea?"

"Sure." answered Donna as she padded behind him to the kitchen.

She sat on the counter as Josh made the tea.

"So are you ready for the wrath of CJ?" she asked quietly.

"I don't think it's going to be that bad.  I mean, come on, I'm sure she's been thinking of ways to leak this to the press for weeks now.  It's not like we've very been horribly discreet around the office lately."

"No, but I blame you for that." teased Donna as she took the cup of tea Josh held out to her.

"Hey, it's not all my fault.  The supply closet, that was your fault."

"Like I was supposed to know the door was going to get stuck." said Donna innocently.

"You weren't the one who had to explain to the President why you were late for staff.  By the look he gave me I'm pretty sure our relationship won't be a surprise to him.  I'm sure the First Lady is on to us."

"Yeah, I think the adjoining rooms in California were a dead giveaway, Joshua." teased Donna as she took a sip of her tea.

"Yeah, forgot about them.  I don't exactly remember a whole lot about that trip."

"Oh really?" asked Donna with her eyebrows raised.

"OK, let me rephrase that.  I remember the good parts.  The fever, the pain and the puking are a little fuzzy." said Josh, recovering quickly.

"Nice save." smirked Donna as she reached out to grab him by the hand.

He moved to stand in between her knees and kissed her forehead.  "You want to stay tonight too?

Donna thought about it for a minute.  "Yeah I do, but I don't think I will.  It looks the press is going to have a field day tomorrow.  I don't think we need to give them more fuel for the fire." she said with a sigh.

"I understand. But just remember, we're not doing anything wrong." he said as he pulled her close and rested his head on her shoulder.

He stayed still for all of a minute or two before starting to fidget, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

"You ok?" asked Donna as she sat back up and ran her fingers through his hair.

"My back's bothering me a little." he admitted.  "I'll be fine." he added, trying to sound convincing but not even coming close.

"Josh you should really make an appointment to see the doctor." said Donna as she pulled him closer and rubbed his back.

"OK Donna, we've been having a pretty good weekend, do we really have to talk about making a doctor's appointment?  You're ruining the mood here." said Josh with a smirk.

"Oh, we had a mood.  I hadn't noticed." replied Donna returning the smirk as she hopped off the counter and opened the fridge.

"There's no food in there."

"No kidding. You want Chinese?"

"Sure.  Order me sesame shrimp and dumplings.  I'll pick it up.  I need some air."

Josh popped up from where he was leaning against the counter and paced around the room for a few minutes while Donna called the Chinese take out place around the corner.  Donna watched him for a few minutes until she was getting dizzy.

"Joshua." she said, loudly. "You're making me dizzy.  Put on your sneakers on and walk around the block or something until it's time to go pick up the food." said Donna in a tone that gave little room for arguing.

Donna grinned at him as he opened the front door.  The grin faded slightly as she watched him navigate the steps slowly.  

By 10:00 Josh was fading fast on the couch.  They had eaten the Chinese food and channel surfed for a while, not really finding anything to keep their attention.

"Josh." said Donna as she nudged him gently.  "Come on, wake up enough to get into bed."

He groaned a little and it was soon pretty clear that waking him up was more trouble than it was worth. Donna grabbed the extra quilt out of the hall closet and covered him up.  She cleaned up the few dishes and gathered her things together.  Kneeling down by the couch she kissed his forehead and pulled the quilt back up.  She made a mental note to call him and wake him in the morning; knowing there was no way he'd hear the alarm in the living room.

Donna went home and puttered around the apartment for about an hour before falling into bed, exhausted but content.  She ended the weekend the same way she had started it, by listening to Faith Hill.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

>   
>  __
> 
> I can feel the magic floating in the air  
>  Being with you gets me that way  
>  I watch the sunlight dance across your face and I've  
>  Never been this swept away  
>  All my thoughts seem to settle on the breeze  
>  When I'm lying wrapped up in your arms  
>  The whole world just fades away  
>  The only thing I hear  
>  Is the beating of your heart  
>  ‘Cause I can feel you breathe  
>  It's washing over me  
>  Suddenly I'm melting into you  
>  There's nothing left to prove  
>  Baby all we need is just to be  
>  Caught up in the touch  
>  The slow and steady rush  
>  Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be  
>  I can feel you breathe  
>  Just breathe  
>  In a way I know my heart is waking up  
>  As all the walls come tumbling down  
>  I’m closer than I've ever felt before  
>  And I know  
>  And you know  
>  There's no need for words right now  
>  ‘Cause I can feel you breathe  
>  It's washing over me  
>  Suddenly I'm melting into you  
>  There's nothing left to prove  
>  Baby all we need is just to be  
>  Caught up in the touch  
>  The slow and steady rush  
>  Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be  
>  I can feel you breathe  
>  Just breathe  
>  Caught up in the touch  
>  The slow and steady rush  
>  Baby, isn't that the way that love's supposed to be  
>  I can feel you breathe  
>  Just breathe  
>  I can feel the magic floating in the air  
>  Being with you gets me that way

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning Josh and Donna sat in his office, waiting for CJ to start the briefing.  She was sitting on the desk watching the TV while Josh paced around.  Catching his elbow as he passed in front of her she pulled him in for a kiss.

"Donna, the door is open." he whined as he cocked his head in the direction of the door.

"Joshua, in about 5 minutes it's not really going to matter now is it?" 

"Probably not."

The stood side by side in silence, holding a collective breath as CJ opened the room to questions.  The very first question was about them.  There were more to follow. Although CJ answered the questions calmly and directly her face gave away her true feelings about the situation.  She couldn't have been happier for Josh and Donna.

As the briefing moved on to matters of national and international importance Josh turned to Donna and held out his hand.

"You ready?"

Donna nodded and squeezed his hand.  They took one step towards the bullpen before Josh pulled her closer.  "Let's give them something to talk about." he whispered as he pulled her in for a passionate kiss with the entire bullpen watching and cheering.

THE END

Here's a list of the songs I used.  Some make me think of Josh and Donna while others I just felt they should listen to together.

It Will be Me-Faith Hill (Gordon Kennedy, Wayne Kirkpatrick)

I Cain't Say No-Oklahoma

Dreams-The Cranberries (You've Got Mail Soundtrack)

A Secretary is Not a Toy-How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying

An Unexpected Song-Andrew Lloyd Webber/Don Black

Cheeseburger in Paradise-Jimmy Buffett

Something to Talk About-Bonnie Raitt

Ain't No Mountain High Enough-Marvin Gaye

Breathe-Faith Hill (Holly Lamar, Stephanie Bentley)

THE END

**Sequel:** "Over-Tired, Over-Caffeinated and Whiny"

  



End file.
